


Methods and Mindfulness

by goldenteaset



Category: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Historical References, Missing Scene, Old Friends, Pre-Relationship, Reality Marble, Strained Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 08:56:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13971651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenteaset/pseuds/goldenteaset
Summary: Rider seeks a sage's counsel regarding his new Master. Set between episodes 2 and 3.





	Methods and Mindfulness

**Author's Note:**

> That gap in time between the Servants' summoning and Assassin's death puts an interesting spin on Waver and Rider's interactions. They really only "get somewhere" once Kayneth threatens Waver with torture/death in episode 3. So until then...well, maybe something like this happened? 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Zero.

Rider strides into the boy’s bedroom and lies down on the mattress with a _creak._ His greenhorn Master has already exhausted his patience, and it’s not even dawn. Sighing wearily, he closes his eyes and awakens his Reality Marble. If nothing else, he can rest assured that his trusted army will honor his call. 

A warm breeze and the heavy smell of horses and sweat comforts him, ushers him home.

When he opens his eyes, he’s greeted by hundreds of old comrades. They pepper him with questions and concerns in many different languages, and he happily answers them all without exception. After the crowd disperses, he strides off in search of Kalanos, sage of Gandhara.

Normally, he would immediately ask for his trusted seers, Aristander in particular, but A) he wants to walk off some of this bubbling frustration inside him, and B) he wants to pretend that this new partnership of his isn’t doomed, though he knows otherwise. _Let it not be said I give up easily. Then again, perhaps that’s more a vice than a virtue tonight…_

Rider finds Kalanos near the edge of the camp, waiting for him after having finished his meditation. As always, Rider is impressed by this elderly sage’s dedication to his Eastern beliefs, even in a desert. Early on in their friendship Rider once drunkenly proclaimed, “It takes a tough spirit to subject one’s bare genitals to the elements!” Thankfully, Kalanos had taken no offense.

“ _Kalē_ ,” says Kalanos as always. He smiles warmly.

“ _Kalē._ ” Rider is feeling a little better already.

He sits down beside his friend, looking over the sprawling army camp before them. They sit in companionable silence, drinking in the result of an impossible dream.

Finally, Kalanos speaks, his voice raspy yet ponderous. “Your weariness can be felt for miles, my King. Does your new alliance cause you such grief?”

Rider chuckles. “I should’ve known you would sense it. To answer your question: yes, this ally is…difficult.”

Kalanos’ black eyes blink slowly; he rests his chin in his hand and hums. “Are you going to continue the partnership, or not?”

“I was going to ask your opinion on the matter.”

“Ah. Well, you are about to be disappointed, old friend. As it stands, this partnership is doomed to fail. Because it _isn’t_ a partnership at all, but an unending battle of wills.”

Rider lets out a long, tired sigh and rests his head on the sand. “At least there’s no prophecy foretelling a cataclysmic failure.”

Kalanos chuckles. “Why waste one on an obvious result?”

“Ha! Good point.”

“With that said,” Kalanos murmurs softly, “perhaps we can find a solution. Describe this Master to me.”

Rider sighs and strokes his beard. “Young,” he begins. “If he’s had an _erastes_ to teach and protect him, the man was a poor one. This boy bristles like an angry cat at anything resembling communication! He’s stubborn, overconfident, impulsive—”

“—If I may,” Kalanos interrupts, his voice deceptively mild, “he reminds me _very_ much of a young man I once knew.”

Rider struggles to look innocent. “…Is that so?”

“Mm. Waiting for him to grow weary of his own impulsiveness worked wonders.” Dark eyes glint with faint mischief. “As you may recall.”

Rider rubs his heated face with a hand. Kalanos didn’t just “wait” for such an event; he would succinctly and clearly chastise young Alexander whether alone or in public. It was almost as potent as his mother’s scolding. _When people bend to your will or face destruction, dealing with someone who can’t bring himself to care either way is…strange._    

It’s a perfect method for dealing with this boy.

“Hmm, he’s also the scholarly sort; perhaps I could bribe him with a text or two…”

Kalanos rests his chin in his hand. “In that case, why not treat him as you would any scholar?”

“You mean seek his counsel?” Rider sits up, stares out at the camp and thinks it over. “…I could. Perhaps he knows this land and its people. He may be immature, but he must’ve studied tirelessly to make it this far.” He chuckles. “And besides, I can seek advice without following it!”

“As always, I am honored to be among the exceptions,” Kalanos says dryly.

The cloudless blue sky stretches out before Rider’s eyes, its brightness almost blinding. A soft breeze ruffles his hair and smells faintly of the ocean. The scent stirs old, bittersweet feelings in his heart.

“I saw a modern map of the lands I conquered,” he mutters, shifting his legs restlessly. “It was smaller than I thought.”

Silence. Kalanos stares off into the distance, his gnarled fingers resting on his knees. Then: “Do you regret it?”

The answer comes to his lips in an instant.

“Ha! Not at all. In fact, it makes conquest all the more appealing.”

Kalanos smiles with pride. “Did this boy show you that map?”

“In a roundabout fashion.” Rider decides to omit the library, since currently Kalanos won’t be able to see it in person. “Hmm…you could say my summoning wasn’t a complete loss in that regard.”

“We shall see.”

Below them, the infantry are practicing their drills, the sandy wind clattering against their shields. Not far off, the horses whisk away flies with their long dark tails, their ears flicking about catching each and every sound. Someone—possibly Thais, that delightful madwoman—has a snake on a spit, about to be roasted over a cooking fire. The meat smells…questionable.

It will be a long time before he can return here. He should cherish it while he can.

After resting for a moment, Rider stands and bows, the way Kalanos taught him. “Return to your meditations, friend. Thank you for your help.”

“Did I? Good.” Kalanos echoes his gesture, his movements far more practiced and graceful. “I hope you find your solution.”

Rider nods and prepares to search for Roxana, but he faintly hears someone calling for him. _Ah, well. I suppose that will have to wait…_

\---

He disperses the Reality Marble and finds himself back in the too-small bedroom again.

It’s the boy—Waver—who’s been waiting for him, frowning from the doorway. “No sign of any Masters or Servants yet.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets discontentedly, as if _he’s_ the reason their enemies kept their distance. “So where were _you_ , Rider?”

Ah. So it’s pin-the-blame-on-Rider-time after all. He must have been gone long enough that Waver grew worried.

“I was meditating. And now”—Rider rolls his neck leisurely and walks over to Waver—“I’m starving. What sorts of food can we sample, here in the Far East?”

“Whoa now, where’re you going?!” Waver plants his body as firmly as he can between Rider and the door. That is to say, he’s shaking like a horse asked to climb a treacherous mountain ledge.

“I’m off to acquire food,” Rider says, watching Waver’s Command Seal for any suspicious glow. All seems well. “Or do you know of a place already?”

Waver clenches his jaw so hard the muscles in his cheek spasm. “ _Fine_ , I’ll get cookies or something,” he snaps, storming toward the stairs. “So _don’t move_.”

_But the old couple is fast asleep?_ Rider checks again just to make sure—indeed, nothing’s disturbed their dreams yet. _Perhaps the boy is more worried about these people than he wishes to admit?_ It’s a comforting thought, even if it may prove false.

Waver sneaks down the steps once more. Rider takes stock of him: how he tilts his head to listen for a telltale creak, the practiced lightness of his steps, the way he stops and starts like clockwork, the ease with which his fingers curl around the bannister. This is someone who knows how to avoid being noticed. Rather: he _has_ to know how, like a prey animal in an open field.

For someone who wishes for “respect” to be so skilled at skulking in the shadows, who shrinks back at the lightest of jokes…

…It’s troubling.

_Oh well. That can wait._ Rider stretches his arms behind his head and does his best to get comfortable. He decides to explore Waver’s room. Who knows, maybe he’ll find one of those “television” things the Grail told him about earlier. Perhaps if they share food and entertainment, their partnership will begin to take shape.

And if not…well, at least their time together will end quickly.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback is appreciated. :D
> 
> If anyone's curious, here's the Wikipedia articles for Kalanos and Aristander: 
> 
> An overview of Kalanos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanos
> 
> An overview of Aristander: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristander


End file.
